Chapter One
Schedule and Budget Basics
QUESTION: What is Production Management?
ANSWER: The planning, organizing and managing of the resources and actions required to successfully create a film from a concept or script.
Every film is constructed; the result of a combination of resources AKA—places, people and equipment—with the common goal of capturing footage to be edited together to tell a story. Even documentaries and reality television are created and creation requires planning.
Production management is that preparation, representing the business component of show business—answering practical questions such as: When will that scene be shot? Who will shoot it and Where? What role does that actor play and Why does that equipment need to be purchased, rather than rented? Where will we rent these props, How long do we need them and How many of those do we need? Where is the next location? What is all of this going to cost? Why do we need that additional location?
Production management is resource management: effectively
- Identifying
- Organizing and Scheduling
- Locating and Pricing
- Budgeting and Securing
—everything needed to create a film, so that each is available as needed, when required, for the best price possible.
When administrative factors are well managed, they contribute to the artistic process of filmmaking. Actors act, the director directs, the crew concentrates on the task at hand.
Scheduling and budgeting start once there is a project to manage. It assumes that a producer has assembled the basic elements of a film—a script, an end-use plan for the project and possibly a director, key actor—but every project is different.
A Production Manager (PM, or UPM, or Line Producer—we will use these interchangeably) is in a unique position regarding the filmmaking process. They must simultaneously be aware of small details, while maintaining a big picture view. The PM understands the past, present and future of the production—what’s currently happening now and what’s next.
Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film: A Panic-Free Guide presents a process to identify each resource needed to create, arrange, and price a film in the most efficient manner. The schedule and budget that you create may be different from someone else’s, but there are basic steps and a systematic way to approach them, commonly accepted in the industry, that can be applied to all types of films. This book offers guidelines to understand the process, do it yourself and streamline your process whenever possible.
The Schedule and Budget Relationship
A film’s schedule and budget are interdependent, hinging on the script. If one changes, so do the others. Based upon the script, the schedule and budget are the foundation of a film—they determine how quickly and efficiently it can be shot and completed.
For example, if you need a piece of equipment that is typically rented by the day and you add an additional day, your budget will increase.
Fig. 1.1
Extra Tripod
George Hodan
For a shoot in Manhattan, our director and DP have requested an additional tripod. We call several vendors and find one that charges and find out that it will cost $20 per day to rent it, with a small discount if we rent for the entire 6-day week. The schedule below illustrates how renting this equipment for additional days will incur additional costs.
Table 1.1
| Equipment | Vendor | Days | Cost |
| Tripod | DCTV | 1 | $20.00 |
| 2 | $40.00 | ||
| 3 | $60.00 | ||
| Entire Week (6 day) | $80.00 |
This situation brings up questions: in how many scenes will it be used? Can we group those scenes together to rent it for the shortest amount of time? Should we just pay a little more and rent it by the week for $80 and not worry about when in the schedule the tripod will be used? Going down a checklist: cost, personnel required, insurance, safety, transportation, storage; the convenience of having the extra tripod on hand outweighs any inconvenience for a relatively low cost. Working in production management raises questions with recurring themes: how will this new factor affect our power resources, human resources, time and monetary resources and constrictions of physical space and safety issues?
TIP: One of the fastest ways to reduce your budget is to cut entire script pages or shooting days from your schedule. These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum; you need the input of your team. Practical considerations require that the director agree that required scenes can be shot in the time allotted to do so.
For example, if you have scheduled one full day to shoot scene 23 and for some reason the shooting must be extended into the next day—this may impact your budget—paying for an additional day at that location, extending permits if necessary, equipment rental agreements, and employing extras or crew.
It’s cause and effect; additional time, locations, equipment or people generally increase time needed to shoot—impacting the schedule and, correspondingly, the budget. The reverse is true; shave time off of your schedule and the budget should go down.
Without a script or detailed concept, creating a film shooting schedule is difficult. And a budget doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it is a result of that schedule—when you need certain equipment or people, and for how long.
Film production works on a project basis. Crew and cast are freelancers; they must always plan the next job and may have employment scheduled immediately after your shoot. Extending their planned work time on your project may be out of the question, or tricky to arrange. Together the schedule and budget set the framework of possibilities for a film and resources required to create that film.
Who Manages the Schedule and Budget
There are many producer titles and ultimately one job: get the best film made, on time and on budget! The producer’s unit organizes time and money to make the film’s creation possible.
At the macro level, a producer plans a film project. Regardless of title, Line Producer (LP), Production Manager (PM), or Unit Production Manager (UPM), the person managing the schedule and budget oversees the execution of that plan. The bigger the budget, the larger the producer’s unit. The line between a credit and a job description varies from film to film, but the task of managing the schedule and budget rests upon one person.
A producer’s unit may have one or more of the following players.
Fig. 1.2
Producer’s Unit
Big Hollywood films with multimillion-dollar budgets may employ many people in the producer’s unit. On films with modest budgets of a million dollars and under (way under for many of us), the Producer and the PM may be one and the same person, assisted by the Production Coordinator and Production Assistant (PA).
The distinction between the UPM and LP credit rests with the DGA. A UPM is an official credit for DGA members (AKA PM), while a LP is not affiliated with a union or guild. On films employing both a LP and a PM, generally, the LP maintains the schedule and budget and the PM locates resources and makes deals. The bottom line is to know exactly what is expected of you, what credit you will be given and to put it in an employment contract.
The job of the person managing the schedule and budget involve some mix of:
- Breaking down the script
- Creating, then adjusting the schedule
- Collaborating with the Director, Assistant Director (AD) and Production Designer
- Budgeting the film and possibly securing locations
- Facilitating the hiring of crew and cast
- Execution of contracts, permits, releases, banking, and accounting
- Arranging travel and housing
- Coordinating communication with film commissions, studio and/or distribution and/or banking, financiers, insurance people, and any other stakeholders and
- Initiating and tracking all the paperwork—production and status reports.
A Little History
Many norms in filmmaking go back to the studio system. Prior to the 1950s, studios employed a full-time staff of actors, crew, technicians, definite “units” responsible for specific duties, reporting to a department head. This makes life simple. Give people clear things to do and empower them to carry out those duties. Who does what depends on the film’s intended end-use, crew experience and the availability of resources. On small films, many people wear several hats.
Fig. 1.3
Working Together, Filmmaking Units are Responsible for Explicit Tasks
Historically, the line producer produced “below the line” which, if you look at the budget following, has two parts, Above The Line—initial creative costs such as Writer, Director, Star Cast, Producer and Below The Line—the cost of making the script. Thus the title, Line Producer.
Modern-day filmmaking dictates that you get your film made any way possible, with whatever resources you can muster. Lean and mean can generate creativity and speed.
Table 1.2
Helpful Tools and Software
Scheduling and budgeting can be accomplished with, or without, computers and software. The steps are similar and the relationship between a script, schedule and budget remain the same, no matter what tools you use. There are advantages and trade-offs either way.
A Manual and Computer Approach
Computers were heralded to launch a paper-free work environment, but that hasn’t yet happened! Production management breeds a lot of paper, so it helps to get organized.
The process is similar, whether you use a computer or not. The beauty of breaking down a script manually is that you become familiar with the story because there’s so much physical interaction. Literally. When using a computer, the process isn’t necessarily easier, but the automation, duplication and rearranging saves time. That’s why it has become the standard.
If the entire process will be managed in the computer, it is helpful to print and read the script at least once, to become acquainted with the story and characters.
Tools for the non-computer approach:
- Pencils, colored pencils, ruler and breakdown sheets
- Calculator
- Production board
Production boards—cardboard or wooden charts displaying the schedule, scene by scene, on colored strips of paper—were traditionally used to easily visualize and rearrange the schedule. With the widespread use of computer-based scheduling tools, a production board, while still useful, is only necessary if you find it useful.
With a computer, you have several choices and many programs provide demos for you to test out the software. Increasingly, online components, collaborative features and mobile compatibility are offered so that you can view and sometimes work on your breakdowns, schedules and budgets on a tablet or Smart phone.
Tools You Will Need
- Entertainment Partners software, Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting are powerful tools and the industry standard. www.entertainmentpartners.com
- WattWenn offers production-scheduling tools with robust functions for multi-episodic and complex productions, offering tools to compare multiple schedules. Easy script import, keeps the script in a window as you work on the breakdown. www.wattwenn.com
- Showbiz makes a robust budgeting, payroll, accounting and scheduling software. www.showbizsoftware.com
- Studio Binder is a cloud-based production management suite of tools, offering budgeting, scheduling and a variety of customizable forms, including syncing and sharing information for teams online. www.studiobinder.com
- Scenios is a cloud-based production management suite incorporating tools for writing, scheduling, post production logging and tracking deliverables, and works on mobile devices. www.scenios.com
- Final Draft software is an industry standard for screenplay writing, with features for importing into other film production software. www.finaldraft.com
- Fade In is an additional screenwriting software offering that generates breakdowns for scheduling and budgeting purposes. www.fadeinpro.com
- Jungle Software offers a variety of software integrating the breakdown, scheduling and budgeting process, available at different price points. www.junglesoftware.com
- Celtx software assists with script writing, collaborative scheduling, budgeting, preproduction, cost reporting, resource management process and storyboards. www.celtx.com
- Fuzzlecheck is a relative newcomer in scheduling software that is available in English, German and Spanish. www.fuzzlecheck.com
- Yamdu is an online production management suite of tools for online collaboration and organization from development through delivery. www.yamdu.com
- Microsoft Word and Excel, or word processing and spreadsheet software, like Open Office, facilitate the production management process, if set up correctly, but lack the automated features contained in specialized software designed for media production.
All of these programs are available for sale online and from the software manufacturers themselves. Try out the trial periods in the software to give some a test run. Check out the websites listed or www.writersstore.com. If you’re going to use the computer approach, you’ll definitely need a printer (preferably color) with lots of ink.
Trends to Consider
Thanks to advances in technology and human innovation, the production process continues to evolve and become more streamlined. Over the past several years, film production has changed primarily to digital production, which does not change the process of scheduling and budgeting a film. New trends are emerging and these may affect the process.
- Mobile platforms offer the opportunity for filmmakers to manage their productions from smart phones and tablets. A variety of production software products now offer mobile platforms for your convenience, so that no matter where you are, you can adjust your schedule and budget without a computer. Visually this can be difficult due to the size of the screens on these devices. An additional point to consider relating to mobile platforms is where the files you are working on are stored (in Internet cloud storage on a service like Dropbox, or on a company server, for example). The reason this issue could be relevant depends on the reliability of your access and connection to the Internet; so for instance, if your device goes offline at some point, it’s important to know how that may affect your work, as well as the security of the platform.
- Filmmaking is inherently team-based and in response to that, many providers of software for the scheduling and budget process offer collaborative tools, such as the ability for multiple users to log into a film’s schedule or budget and work on different parts of the same file.
- New types of production are emerging and maturing; 3-D movies and Virtual Reality, which shoots video in 360-degrees and augmented reality productions, are currently available in varying degrees. Most of us are familiar with 3-D films, which require special glasses in order to see the additional “dimension” that pops out. Smart-glasses are required for 360-degree video, virtual reality and augmented reality. Virtual reality immerses the audience in a 360-degree film and augmented reality adds new visual information into the present visual landscape. The widespread adaptation of these formats depends on the widespread acceptance (and price) of the headgear. Working on any of these types of film requires input from the Producer (Post Production Supervisor and Visual Effects Supervisor if there is one) from the outset about the special time and expense considerations for these effects. Virtual and augmented reality are popping up in music videos, commercials, as well as the marketing and gaming sector, but may become a permanent format in movies, TV and episodic video on the web.
- As digital cameras become more refined there are more formats to contend with, from High Definition, 2K, 4K to 8K and beyond. The scheduling and budgeting processes remain the same; however, with increased formats, more planning and storage for files (additional hard drives and cards) are required and the camera equipment may be more expensive.
- Advances in technology demand more than ever that filmmakers ask good questions before we begin.
- Production incentives are government-funded programs to help filmmakers save money on their productions; they may not affect your scheduling, but often require a specific budget form. Incentive rules vary (how much one must spend and so forth) and in the U.S., differ from one state to the next. These programs are also referred to as tax rebates, tax incentives, film incentives or production incentive schemes. A typical requirement for receiving the benefit is that your production uses a specific budget form (usually on that film commission’s website) to help that state or governing body account for how the money was spent.
Basic Steps and Stages
Establishing a system for film scheduling and budgeting helps in several ways; you get to know the project, find opportunities to condense the schedule—creating time efficiencies, saving money on the production by experimenting with different budget scenarios.
Basic steps establish a starting point—assigning numbers to scenes and characters that will remain constant, transforming the script into shorthand documents (like production board strips, call sheets and production reports)—so that it is not necessary to read the script through every time to find essential information.
Scheduling
Without breaking down a script into a schedule, it is easy to miss essential scenes, props, characters and equipment. Without a schedule, there is really no plan and the resulting budget bears little connection to reality. The initial scheduling process maintains the integrity of data from the script, like a GPS leading you toward the completed film. Each day gets you closer. A schedule is the foundation of a production.
Depending on the script, a film shoot can last weeks, or months. Mentally compare the production of the Angelina Jolie-starring, video game-inspired action film, Tomb Raider, to an iconic indie film like The Blair Witch Project. Actors, costumes, sets, stunts and locations aside, the Tomb Raider shoot lasted 100 days while the duration of The Blair Witch Project shoot was approximately eight days. That is not the only reason that Tomb Raider was a more expensive film to make, but it is a major indicator. Complicated films take longer to shoot; each additional shooting day costs more. Once every single person, place, or thing in the script is identified in the breakdown process, assembling them in an efficient order creates a schedule that helps to save money. Think of it as a really great puzzle.
This scheduling process allows you to combine scenes based on similar characteristics (set, time of day, INT/EXT, combinations of cast or equipment), for efficiency.
- Read the script completely through to become familiar with the story and characters. Note questions if you must, but try to give the screenplay your full attention. This first, unbiased impression is similar to how an audience will see the finished film.
- Identify each scene with a number—one scene at a time, digitally in the computer, or by lining the script on paper, at each SCENE HEADING showing
changes in location. Each numbered scene is a complete unit unto itself. As you insert scene numbers, mark the page into eighths—to show how much of a page the scene takes up.
- Breakdown the script, one scene at a time, marking every resource; Set, Cast Member, Sound, Prop, Vehicle, as well as any Stunt, Effect, potentially expensive shot and all questions, on the script.
- Complete one Breakdown Sheet for each scene, either in the computer or on paper.
- Transfer Breakdown Sheets to colored Strips for the Production Board. (In a film scheduling computer program, this will happen automatically.)
- Shift Strips around to combine scenes based on identical characteristics, sets, INT/EXT, time of day, cast.
Budgeting
Like scripts, good budgets are created and rewritten. As a practical matter, the budgeting process begins with the script, your schedule and questions for the producer.
- What format will the film be captured on? Completed on?
- Is it union or non-union? Estimated length?
- Does the film rely heavily on stunts, special effects, animals, kids, huge crowds, specific weather, exotic locations?
- Have any specific resources for the film already been identified?
Answers to many questions will point you in a specific direction.
Budgeting is a 3-stage process:
- Identify and Obtain prices (from multiple sources) in writing from film commissions (for vendors and locations), post production labs (post services), equipment rental houses (shoot), department heads and unions (cast and crew).
- Negotiate potential deals and present data to your team.
- Lock-in your deals with signed contracts (employment contracts, location contracts, permits).
Budgets are structured in layers. The top sheet is an overview, with each successive layer providing more in-depth details. Every item in a budget is assigned an account number, to allow items to be tracked and organized.
Without a completed script, the budget is more of an estimate. The process tends to be fluid. It is important to approach a budget realistically; don’t cut it too close! Estimate upwards, giving yourself the flexibility to borrow between accounts later.
End Uses of the Schedule and Budget
Depending on your relationship with a production, you may not know what this particular schedule and budget will be used for. An obvious answer is fundraising, but discovery may be the result as well. Often, the scheduling and budgeting process is a fact-finding mission, revealing the feasibility of a project.
Common uses for the schedule and budget:
- To determine the cost in time and money for a production
- To share the information with potential partners
- To decide whether it makes sense to do this project with this team at this time
- To discover the information and present it in crowdfunding campaigns and to potential funders for purposes of raising money
- To create the financial information needed to format into the specific template required by a film commission for the governing body to apply for a production incentive.
The movie you are scheduling and budgeting may have a definite start date, or may be something that might happen; so your schedule and budget may be used to draw support, resources and ultimately, financing.
End of Chapter One Review
- Production management is composed of the business tasks to efficiently plan the organization and use of resources in making a film.
- Systematic scheduling and budgeting ensures that all of the elements in a script will make it into the film.
- Regardless of the credit or title given to the person performing the vital task of creating the schedule and budget, production management process is a set of established steps.
- Many factors play a role in the final schedule and budget of a film: script changes, crew and cast input, preferred team collaboration method, the final format and end-use of the film, as well as the shooting process itself. All of these rest upon the foundation of the primary schedule and budget.
- The basic scheduling workflow consists of reading the script, lining it, breaking it down and completing breakdown sheets, then converting those to scene strips and rearranging those strips for the best schedule.
- The basic budgeting workflow consists of identifying and obtaining prices for each resource, negotiating deals and locking-in the deals by executing signed legal contracts.
- The systems of scheduling and budgeting have evolved over a century of filmmaking, but the basics, covered here, remain largely unchanged. It is helpful, but not necessary, to pinpoint the end use of the budget and schedule before starting. The tasks can be done with or without a computer; however, software designed specifically for this purpose can save time and effort.